Magicorum Box Set (Books 1-5)

24. Chapter Twenty-Four

24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Bryar Rose

A few minutes later, Alec finishes his transport spell. Knox, Alec, Elle and I all stand at the end of a winding dirt road. A bright yellow sun burns down from an impossibly blue sky. Around us, a landscape of rolling hills is sliced into neat rows of grapevines. The scent of earth and green leaves fills the air. I scan the area. No one else is around. I clutch the Codex Mechanica under my right arm. No way am I letting this thing out of my sight.

Before us, the road ends with a low hilltop that’s crowned by a small cluster of dingy buildings. At one time, I’d imagine these structures were all gleaming white walls and neat peaked roofs of red ceramic tile. Now, the place is rundown, gray, and moldy. Large holes gape in the tile rooftops. Gnats buzz about the scene. Other than the insects, the place sure looks deserted.

“Is the place?” I ask Knox. After all, Knox came here before to hunt Denarii. If anyone would know if we’d reached Julius Caesar’s old villa, it would be my mate.

My inner wolf stands at attention. “I hope we see our mate kill something,” she coos.

“I’ve seen it.” I shudder, remembering how Knox had to take down Madame Grimoire, my old therapy group leader who was actually a Denarii zombie-mummy. Head removal was involved. “It’s not as pleasant as you might think.”

Knox scans the landscape carefully. “Nothing’s changed since the last time I came by. Still looks abandoned.” He gestures towards the villas. “This is all one compound for Jules. He had servants and visitors. There were no locals or anything. But like I said, all that was long over by the time I got here.”

“It’s pretty modern,” I say. “Somehow I expected more ancient Rome.”

Instead of pointing, Knox chin nods toward a particular spot on the horizon. “There’s a building on the back of the property that is a classic Roman ruin. You know, a small round temple with smashed-in walls and busted columns.”

Not sure what I expected from Caesar’s personal estate. Maybe a big statue of Brutus with the words ‘original backstabber’ written on it in Latin? A bunch of rundown modern villas wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind.

Still, if it’s where the fountain of magic is hidden, it’ll always be a gorgeous spot in my book.

Alec mock-bows and offers Elle is arm. “Shall we?”

I take a half step forward and pause. Something nags at the back of my brain. My inner wolf perks up again. All her fur stands on end.

“I don’t like this,” she growls.

“Yes,” I say slowly. A chill of unease creeps up my spine.

Knox steps up beside me. “What’s wrong?”

“My human intuition is telling me to wait. So is my wolf.”

Alec slings his sport coat over his shoulder, male model style. “Intuition? What? We’re here. There’s some old ruin nearby and some new-ish McVillas right in front of us. The fountain of all magic is here somewhere. We have to look for it.”

Knox hitches his thumbs into the back pockets of his leathers. It’s another one of his thinking poses. He keeps his attention riveted on me. “What’s got you worried?”

I sort through everything that’s happened. The Void. The papyri. Boucle-Roux. At last, the wrong piece stands out in the puzzle of my thoughts. “It’s Ty. She’s holding out something and we don’t know what it is.”

“Let me guess.” Alec sighs dramatically. “You want me to cast more spells so you can see her?”

Knox gives him the side eye. “Like it would be that hard. All you need is an article of her clothing and you could track her down.”

Alec wags his finger at Knox. “And do you have something of hers handy?”

“Like I keep her crap around. It’s all back at the castle.”

“And that’s what I’m saying,” groans Alec. “I am not transporting your big asses around again.”

Knox chuckles. “Come on, you big baby.”

Alec narrows his eyes. “It’s Sir Baby to you.”

“Seriously,” says Knox. “Don’t dismiss the idea just because it means another spell.”

“Think about it,” I add. “I came to Europe to get the Codex Mechanica, all because Ty found me online. But she actually sent me to Boucle-Roux to get my butt kicked.”

Knox steps forward. “After that, I’m lured along in a step two of her plan when Ty calls me to say that Bry’s about to be attacked. My ex knows I won’t stay away from my mate. This whole thing reeks of a setup.”

Elle raises her hand. “Speaking as someone who sets up people all the time, I have to agree with Knox.”

“Not seeing the master plan here.” Alec folds his arms over his chest. “Ty wanted to prove she could scare your girlfriend while luring you to the castle to pay attention to her. No big deal.” He hitches his thumb toward the villas. “Let’s find ourselves one fountain of magic.”

“There’s more.” I start counting off the items on my fingers. “First, Ty had the Codex Mechanica. I get that she collects ancient stuff, but what are the odds of finding that thing? Second, Ty knew I wanted that particular device. Very sketchy. Third, Ty knew exactly who the Void is. That memory curse which affected all of us? It did zero to her. And there’s only one other person I know who was immune to that curse. Az. He got that way because he had a run-in with the Shadowvin.”

“Hmmm.” Alec kicks at the dirt road. “Those are the shadow monsters who sucked out your powers, right?”

“Yup.” I gesture toward the nearest stucco condo. “And now, Ty wants me to go in there. This is like Boucle-Roux all over again. I don’t trust her. And I totally think she knows more than she’s telling us. We need to find her and make her share what’s really going on.”

Alex pauses and thinks for a moment. Then he tosses up his hands while shooting an angry look at Knox. “I hate it when you’re right.”

Knox shrugs. “Bry’s the one who’s right. I just get to tell you about it.”

“Fine, fine.” Alec lets out a long puff of breath. “I’ll track Ty down. I just need something of hers for a locator spell.”

“You could go back to castle and grab something.”

“No.” Alec’s eyes narrow as he scans the horizon. “This place is definitely bad news. I don’t want to leave you here alone. I’ll transport all of us back to the castle. Once we’re there, I can cast a locator spell there and force Ty to return.” Alec reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of rubies.

And that’s when everything goes to hell.

White mist rolls in over the countryside. Dark clouds descend over the sky. A pair of long shadows creep along the dirt road, reminding me of a shifting pool of black paint. The breeze dies down. Even the insects stop their buzzing. No question who is coming.

The Shadowvin.

Knox pulls me against his side. “Do you see that?” he asks.

I nod. “This is what’s been haunting my dreams.”

Two humanoid shadows rise up from the misty ground. Slythe and Tithe. Their eyes glow white as they float closer.

“Are those the Shadowvin?” asks Elle.

“They are,” I say.

Alec steps in front of Elle, placing himself between her and the figures. “What do they want?”

Another form rises up from the mist. This one is eight feet tall and glows with white light. His eyes are fathomless holes of darkness. Tilting back his head, he roars to the clouds. “Take me to the fountain!”

Slythe and Tithe start to float closer. If that wasn’t creepy enough, they start talking in unison. “Accept the inevitable. The Void will devour the world. No one will have the strength to destroy the fountain. Give us the device.”

I grip Knox’s hand tightly. “I’m never going to help you.”

“But you already are,” they say together.

With lightning speed, both Shadowvin rush toward Knox. I remember when they threatened Knox and Elle before—the Shadowvin showed me how they could possess someone’s body. On reflex, I stand between him and the Shadowvin.

If you want to get to my mate, you have to go through me first.

The Shadowvin slide right past me and into Knox’s body. Just like they showed me in my dreams, they start to possess Knox before my eyes. When it comes to possession, the more spirits you have in side you, the harder it is to fight back.

Even so, my mate fights back.

Crumpling onto his knees, my mate screams with pain. His veins run black. My inner wolf starts to lose her mind. Her eyes turn wild as she paces a frantic line.

“We have to help him,” she moans inside my soul.

“I don’t know what to do,” I reply.

I kneel before Knox. “How can I help?”

When Knox looks up at me, his eyes swirl with black. “Run.”

“No,” I say solemnly. “You know I won’t do that.”

Elle and Alec rush to stand beside us. Both of them look wide-eyed with worry.

“Alec knows a spell that might help,” says Elle.

After reaching into the pocket of his sport coat, Alec pulls out a handful of rubies. Gripping the gems in his fist, Alec raises his arm high. Red light shines through his fingers. “With my magic, I call on thee, Shadowvin! Leave this place!” A thin coating of red mist surrounds Knox’s body. My mate howls with fresh pain.

“Not helping,” says Knox through gritted teeth. “They want me…to hurt you.”

“I know you won’t hurt me,” I say.

The Void’s deep voice booms across the countryside. “Bring me the fountain.” He floats closer. “Fountain!” This is not going well.

I focus on Alec and Elle. “You guys should run.”

Elle kneels at my side. “We aren’t going anywhere and you know it.”

Knox grips my hands. “Remember when…I used shifter power…your wolf…”

Images appear in my mind. When I was first learning how to control my wolf, Knox used his Alpha power to help me focus. Whatever Knox is doing, he’s barely keeping control. Maybe some shifter magic will help. “I understand.”

Reaching forward, I rest my hands on Knox’s shoulders. Within my heart, I pull on the threads of golden shifter power inside me. In my mind’s eye, I picture them winding down my arms and into Knox’s soul. His skin shimmers with a golden hue.

“It’s working,” says Elle.

“Try the spell again now,” I tell Alec.

Alec jams his hand into his pocket once more, pulls out more stones. Again, he raises the gems high. The magical rocks shine so brightly in his hand, they’re like a second sun. “Shadowvin, you must go!”

Waves of red light shimmer around Knox, reflecting off the golden hue of his skin. My mate lets out the mother of all roars and falls backwards. The Shadowvin tumble out of his body. They both round on Elle.

“How about you?” they ask in unison. “Perhaps you’ll be easier to control.”

Elle and I share a shocked look. Turning to the guys, we yell out the same word: “Run!”

Knox slings his right arm over Alec’s shoulder. My mate braces his left arm on me. Together, the three of us race toward the villa at the top of the road. Elle keeps pace at our side, checking back every few yards. “They’re following us,” she reports.

“Make for the first villa,” says Knox. “Last time I was here, all the houses had serious protection wards against spirits. Jules was nuts about that stuff.”

Which makes sense. Jules killed a ton of people, both as a mortal and then later, when he became a zombie mummy. If angry ghosts where going to attack someone, Jules would be target number one.

“Once we get there,” adds Knox. “We’ll be fine, but the Shadowvin shouldn’t get through.”

Alec and I push ourselves harder. Sweat lines my forehead and drips down my back. It’s a short run to the first villa, but it feels like a marathon, especially since I’m helping to carry Knox. Plus, it’s hard to see the ground under all this mist. Finally, we reach the front door. It’s half off its hinges, but that won’t affect the warding spells. Those work whether the doors are open or closed.

Alec and I haul Knox inside. Once we cross the threshold, my mate collapses onto the floor, panting. The motion sends puff of white mist rolling away from him in every direction.

“Well,” says Knox flatly. “That hurt like fuck.” He looks to Elle, who’s taken to standing vigil in the doorway. “Any news?”

“You’re right, Knox. The Shadowvin have stopped about twenty yards away. They’re pounding on some invisible barrier.” She exhales. “And they aren’t breaking through. Looks like Jules put on some decent wards here.”

I kneel beside Knox. “Do you need a healing spell?”

“Nah.” Knox shakes his head. “Let Alec save his stones for when we really need them.” My mate does look a lot better. His veins are no longer black, and the swirling shadows are gone from his eyes. “You still got the Codex Mechanica?”

I hold it up from where I’d kept it jammed under my arm. “Still here.”

“Good.”

Elle turns around and smiles. “They’ve gone.”

Little by little, the clouds roll away. The mist completely disappears from the floor. Beams of sunlight shine through the broken door and cracked windows.

Knox glares at the doorway. “I don’t like this. It’s—”

“Another set up,” finishes Elle.

Alec shakes some of the bits of plaster off his head. “Did you see how fast the Shadowvin can move when they want to? They flew into Knox. But when it came to chasing us, they always stayed a few yards behind. That wasn’t a hunt. The Shadowvin were herding us onto the property. At this point, all we need are cow costumes, and the look would be complete.”

A half-smile curls on Knox’s mouth. “I don’t know, Alec. You’ve got a little paunch going already. You might already be rocking the cow look.”

“Remind me,” says Alec. “Why do I transport my ass all over the world to save yours?”

Knox shrugs. “I’ve got a nice ass.”

I shake my head and smile. “Do you guys ever take anything seriously?”

Alec winks. “Not if we can help it.”

“We should check out the property,” I say. “Look for the fountain systematically.”

Elle winces. “Do you think the Shadowvin will come back?”

“Not normally,” I reply. “But they herded us here for a reason. I don’t think we’ll have a ton of time before they come back.” I look to Knox. “You know this place best. What’s the fastest way to check everything out?”

Knox stands up and wipes some dust off his jeans. “We should split up. Elle, you can take this place. There are two more villas behind this one. Alec, how about you take the one on the left and I’ll take the right.” He turns to me. “Since you were so excited about the ruined temple, how about you check that one out?”

“Sounds like a plan,” I say. “How do I get there?”

“There’s a shortcut through the forest, but you’re better off taking the gravel path behind this house. It’s a little longer, but you won’t get lost.”

Elle pulls her cell from her pocket. “Everyone have phones in case of trouble?” We all pull out our various cells and raise them high.

“Or you can just yell,” I add. “Knox and I will hear you from a mile away.”

“You got that right,” adds Knox.

With those words, my inner wolf whimpers. “We shouldn’t leave Knox. He might still be sick.”

Normally, my wolf’s logic would make sense. But what’s happening lately is anything but normal.

“No,” I reply in my mind. “The fact that Knox may be ill? That’s all the more reason we should leave him. Knox feels better when we aren’t nearby.”

Inside my soul, my wolf lifts her chin and looks away. That’s about as close to an agreement as I’ll get at this point.

Knox scans the room. “Any questions?” Everyone shakes their heads.

“In that case,” I say. “It looks like we have a solid plan.” My voice comes out a lot more confident than I feel, though. I’ve taken to gripping the Codex Mechanica so tightly, I’m surprised it doesn’t snap in two. “Let’s do this.”

We all head off in our separate directions. I’m not twenty yards down the gravel road when a young girl’s voice sounds in my head.

“I know a shortcut to the temple,” calls the child version of me.

I stop and scan around. Elle, Alec, and Knox are all in their respective villas. If that voice were real, Knox would definitely have heard it. Clearly, I’m the only one who detects her at this point.

A flash of a gray cloak appears in the thicket of overgrown olive trees. Child-Me dashes off into the forest. “Hurry!” She calls.

I leave the gravel path and rush through the darkened forest. It doesn’t really bother me that I seem to know the way like the back of my hand. Instead, all I can focus on is her bell-like laughter. I need to find this girl. Not sure how I know this, but I’m certain of one thing.

Whatever my questions are, she holds all the answers.